Marriage Dissolution Bill: Is it Necessary?

The subject of divorce has always been a sensitive topic within Christian nations and the
passage of the Divorce Bill in the Philippine Congress has led to contrasting views among
Filipinos considering that the Philippines is one of the only two remaining nations in the world
without a legal divorce procedure. House Panel Approves Divorce Bill is a news article written
by journalist, Delon Porcalla of The Philippine Star published on February 6, 2020. The author’s
aim on the publication of the news article include the dissemination that a divorce bill has
recently been passed in the congress and that its passage has brought up varying concerns not
only among authorities but the common people as well. The article is inferred to be highly
informative of the certain aspects contributing to the proposed law, its probable benefits as well
as its unavoidable disadvantages among Filipino families. The material provided that the
Marriage Dissolution Bill, more widely recognized as the Divorce Bill has been approved by a
committee in the House of Representatives. It is a bill principally authored by Albay 1 st District
Rep. Edcel Lagman, originally proposed but shelved in April 2018 and refiled in July 2019 under
the 18th Congress. Among the supporters of the proposed bill are 17 th Congress House Speaker
Pantaleon Alvarez and Lagman’s colleagues at the Technical Working Group namely, Reps.
Arlene Brosas of women’s group Gabriela, Ma. Victoria Umali of A-teacher party list, Juliet
Marie Ferrer of Negros Occidental, and Ma. Lourdes Acosta-Alba of Bukidnon. Alvarez’s
remark implies that it is due time to have a legal process of separation among couples in troubled
marriage since the Philippines together with Vatican City are the only remaining nations without
a divorce law and that this will be a step towards further globalization. However, Deputy
Speaker Eddie Villanueva heavily objects the approval of Lagman’s bill stating that, “The
passage of a divorce bill is practically unnecessary.” Villanueva also remarked that state-
sanctioned divorce will ruin the sanctity of marriage and destroy families. As counter to
Villanueva’s statement, Lagman expressed that there is no more marriage or happy union to
speak of when couples reach the difficult decision to seek divorce therefore in no way does it
conceptually destroy marriages.

Clarity and credibility are two aspects that the author heavily focused on. Clear statement
of facts and essential information in areas they were most needed were important recipes on the
overall composition of the article. The use of plausible references boosted the reliability of the
material. Proper and adequate usage of remarks of trustworthy personalities such as authorities
and officials of the government create a great sense of reliability on the composition of the
article. Valid evidences from dependable sources essentials to building a rigid foundation on the
authors claims and ideas. The general purpose of the material to inform, educate and disseminate
accurate data is well achieved through the goal of the author to back up information with
trustworthy evidences through the consistent utilization of reliable sources in order to create and
offer accurate data expressed in well-structured statements. The overall structure of the material
follows a common structure used by general news articles available on different forms of media.
The ideas contained in the article are logically organized from most to least important. The
material posed strengths on the usage of reliable references and evidences in order to back up
presented information. The inadequate information provided in the article is observed as a
weakness although highly reliable. In order to cater more data resulting to significantly more
knowledge among the readers, the author could have covered a larger scope or area on the
specific topic. Due to accurate data provided by the article, the readers shall be more
knowledgeable on areas regarding topics on the passage of a divorce bill in the congress. The
question still lies whether the approval of the Marriage Dissolution Bill is really necessary in the
Philippine setup. Although many approve of its passage, the negative aspects of its enactment
seem to be more visible than its advantages. Deputy Speaker Villanueva stated that it is indeed
unnecessary due to two factors. First, it does not address issues of high cost of litigation and
slow-grinding disposition of cases, which are the real problems encountered by those seeking
relief from troubled marriages. Second, it is a clear a clear defiance to God and to the
Constitution because it will terribly degrade the sacrosanctity of marriage as an inviolable
institution. “The divorce bills filed in Congress simply enumerate and consolidate remedies for
broken marriages already existing in our current laws. That is why the divorce bill is
unnecessary,” he said. It is also remarked by the Deputy Speaker that the state-sanctioned
divorce would ruin the sanctity of marriage and destroy families. Divorce poses a number of
negative impacts. As far as divorce may aid couples in troubled marriages, in reality, divorce is
detrimental to the progress of society, and children are the ones who suffer the most.
Divorce frequently contributes to depression, anxiety or substance abuse in one or both parents
and may bring about difficulties in balancing work and child rearing. These problems can impair
a parent's ability to offer children stability and love when they are most in need.
 Focus on reliability of evidence and references are two of the factors that have benefitted
to the overall complexity of the article, therefore making it a quality material. As far as the
approval of the Divorce Bill shall impose benefits by promoting welfare among couples under
troubled marriages, various loopholes will inevitably arise if it shall be signed as an official law.
#

950 words*